Warburtons Naan Bread review

Warburtons have come up with a new product line to add to their constantly expanding range - Naan bread. Now, I love Naan bread when we go out to an Indian restaurant, especially cheesy Naans, so I was keen to try out them out. They come in two varieties, Plain and Garlic, although I was a bit disappointed to see that the Garlic Naan is actually just a plain Naan with a sachet of Garlic Oil. I would have preferred a Naan with garlic and herbs added into the dough itself so that the flavours infuse the whole bread.


 Another thing that didn't seem quite authentic to me was the shape - they're square. While there's nothing wrong with this, all the other Naan bread I've ever eaten have had the slightly uneven, wobbly oval shape that makes you imagine ladies in saris kneading and shaping them by hand. (Yes, I know, most of them are mass-produced but it's all in the mental image that the shape creates - square just seems to shatter the illusion somehow !).

Taste-wise, they're not bad at all. They're quite light and go really well with curry dishes, as you would expect. One serving of a quarter of a Naan contains 165 calories, 3.7g of fat of which 1.2g saturates and 2.1g of sugar.

Michelin Starred Chef Atul Kochhar has come up with some fabulous recipes showing just how versatile Naan bread can be. I'd never have thought of using it as a pizza base or roulade but I'm very tempted to try both of those recipes out.

Naan Pizza Topped with Chicken Tikka, Apples & Black Olives

serves 2

Ingredients :

• 2 Warburtons Naan Breads with Garlic Oil
• 2 tbsp pesto
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce or paste

Topping:
• 200g roasted or tikka chicken
• 2 medium apples, cored and sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 15-20 pitted black olives
• 1 small bulb of fennel, shaved
• Cubed paneer or 4-5 tbsp grated Cheddar cheese
• Parsley sprigs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce

Garnish:
• Parmesan shavings
• Chopped fresh coriander or rocket leaves
• Olive oil to drizzle

Method:
1 Mix the pesto and tomato sauce in bowl.
2 Place the Naans on a board and spread with the garlic oil sachet and apply a thin layer of the pesto
and tomato mixture.
3 Place the Naans in a preheated oven for 5-8 minutes.
4 Mix together all the topping ingredients and divide amongst the two Naans, spreading evenly.
5 Finish with paneer cheese or grated cheese.
6 Place the Naans back in the oven at 180°c for 8-10 minutes or until well colored and cooked.
7 Remove and garnish with chopped coriander or rocket leaves, parmesan shavings and a drizzle of olive oil to serve.

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Toasted Naan Chicken Tikka Sandwich with rocket and mango chutney

serves 4

Ingredients:
• 2 Warburtons Plain Naan Breads, lightly toasted
• 200g chicken tikka or roasted chicken

Spread:
Mix together:
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp mango chutney
• ½ tsp mint chutney (or chopped fresh mint leaves)

Filling:
• 1 Cox apple, cored and sliced
• 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp grated mature cheddar
• 4-5 walnuts, lightly toasted and broken roughly
• 8-10 black olives, pitted and halved
• 1 small green chilli, chopped
• Rocket or mixed salad leaves

Dressing:
Mix together:
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp mustard paste
• ¼ tsp toasted cumin seed powder
• ¼ tsp chat masala (optional)

Method:
1 Cut each Naan into four equal squares and then toast all the squares lightly in a toaster.
2 Mix together all the spread ingredients and apply a thin layer to four of the Naan squares, onto one side only. Set aside.
3 Place the chicken pieces onto the other four Naan squares. Mix together all the filling ingredients,
then spread this mixture evenly over the chicken.
4 Mix together all the dressing ingredients, and drizzle over the filling. Finish with a few rocket leaves
and close each sandwich with the four Naan slices, keeping the spread side towards the filling.
5 Serve with mint or mango chutney.

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Naan Roulade with Paneer and a Citrus Mint dressing

serves 4

Ingredients:
• 4 Warburtons Plain Naan Breads
• 2 tbsp tamarind chutney (or mango chutney)

Dressing:
• 3 tbsp of mint chutney (or chopped fresh mint leaves)
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Filling:
• 200g chicken tikka/paneer tikka
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 80g pickled red cabbage
• 20-30 red grapes, seedless, halved
• 1 head of lettuce, torn into smaller pieces
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp fine chopped ginger
• ½ tsp toasted cumin seeds powder
• ¼ tsp red chilli flakes
• Salt to taste

Method:
1 For the filling, mix all the ingredients in a bowl and keep it aside until required.
2 Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and mix lightly with the filling.
3 Place the Naans breads on a cutting board and spread the tamarind chutney evenly. Divide the filling between the Naans and roll them into a tight roulade. Cut each roulade into 3-4 cylinders and secure with a toothpick.
4 Serve immediately with some salad leaves and mint chutney.

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star rating : 4/5

RRP : £1.19 for the plain Naan, £1.29 for the Garlic Naan

for more information : http://www.warburtons.co.uk/products/bakery-snacks/naan

Disclosure : We received some Naan breads from Warburtons in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Schwartz review #9 : Tikka Curry Spices
Warburtons Brioche review
Simple fun ideas for quick kids' meals from Warburtons